Singer-songwriter Alex*Cuba hails from Artemisa, Cuba (1 hour west of Havana) and resides in Smithers, B.C. (14 hours north of Vancouver). Musically, he lives everywhere in between. His trademark sugarcane-sweet melodies, pop-soul hooks and rock chords subtly subvert commonly held notions of what Cuban music is. Alex is on the vanguard, crafting a cross-cultural sound that mirrors his geographical journey. Not tied to tradition, this Cuban-Canadian prefers his vintage Gibson over el sencerro (cowbell) anytime.
From his earliest years in Artemisa, he was immersed in music. Alex's first stage appearance on national TV was at the tender age of four, playing claves (a percussion instrument) in a group directed by his music instructor father. Alex went on to study guitar, tres, percussion and bass, practicing eight hours a day during his teens.
After a stint with his twin brother Adonis to record Morumba Cubana, as The Puentes Brothers, Alex departed from Cuban music norms to follow his own path. His debut CD with the Alex Cuba Band, “Humo De Tabaco”, earned him a Juno award for World Music Album in 2006, with the single “Lo Mismo Que Yo”, featuring Ron Sexsmith charting in the Top 20 at BBC Radio 2. For “Humo”, Alex took UK producer Martin Terefe to Cuba to record the album’s funk infused horns and percussion, a sound that got under Terefe’s skin. By extension, that “Alex*Cuba sound” is now evident on Terefe’s productions for Craig David, Ron Sexsmith and Jason Mraz.
After a musical and spiritual evolution, Cuba returned to the studio, this time with co-producer Joby Baker of Victoria, to record “Agua Del Pozo” which was released in Canada in February 2007 under his own Caracol Records imprint. Acclaimed for its blend of tempo, instrumentation and songwriting, the album is a clear evolution from the debut, punctuated by the introduction of Alexis’ electric guitar, a vintage Gibson. “Agua” earned Alex his second Juno Award for Best World Music album 2008.
2008 was a huge year for Alex*Cuba. He delivered a rousing showcase at SXSW, garnered strong media coverage and had sell-out tours in the U.S. In addition to the Juno an “indie” Award for Favourite World Music Artist at Canadian Music Week 2008. In June 2008, Caracol Records (Cuba’s own label, now distributed by EMI Music Canada), re-released “Agua del Pozo” in Canada with brand new artwork.
Alex*Cuba has an explosive live presence and he has performed in the UK, Japan, Spain, the US and Canada. In the fall of 2008, Alex was invited to showcase at the prestigious WOMEX conference in Seville, Spain, he then played London and Barcelona and at the Canadian Music Trade Mission in Tokyo, Japan before dashing back to North America for the Transmission Conference and his second consecutive sell-out at New York's Joe's Pub.
In the digital space, he has had four iTunes Singles of the Week (Canada, U.S., Japan, Netherlands), has charted on various iTunes charts in Canada, the U.S. and Japan, has built an impressive online community and has had major content features on Myspace, Yahoo!, AOL and other portals.
Alex recently collaborated with Nelly Furtado for her Spanish language debut album “Mi Plan” (My Plan) being released worldwide (Universal Latino) in September. The creative chemistry between Alex, Nelly and James Bryan was magical and resulted in multiple co-writes including the first single - “Manos Al Aire” (Hands in the Air) and the title track.
In between tour dates, Alex has been recording his third album at Baker Studios in Victoria, B.C. The self-titled project is slated for a Fall Canadian release and a spring 2010 U.S. release. Featuring surprising new grooves, new electric guitar inflections and varying tempos and structures, the album is an important step in Alex Cuba’s ongoing musical revolution. He recently released a pre-mix of “Caballo” (Horse), a sizzling Cuban-funk-rocker, to fans as a small taste of what’s to come.
With a heart as big as his retro 'fro, Cuba takes it all in stride and focuses on what he does best: crafting songs that cut through linguistic and cultural barriers like a machete through sugarcane.
Alex, I absolutely love your spirit, your music, your personality and most of all your performances. Keep it up. Join us for July 4th in Marina Del Rey 310-422-8135 Haneefa....tell your brother.
hola alex!! paso a saludarte,exelente tu música como varias veces te lo dije.. nosotros ya estamos por empezar a tocar con "la bonetto" donde tb toca y dirije tu amigo compatriota hubert. ojalá por esas cosas de la vida nos cruzemos alguna vez en un escenario!! seria un privilegio. te dejo un abrazo grande!!
Another spectacular show. It's nice to see you playing a full set with a band. I doubt you remember me but you signed a cd for me after your show tonight and I told you about how I saw you open for Aterciopelados in April. It was a wonderful evening and thank you so much for your graciousness. Hope to see you in concert again soon!
We can't wait to play with you at Sunset Junction in Hollywood/Silverlake! We saw you at LAMC and now we get to play the same venue, awesome! We need to have a Cuba Libre! Sonsoles
hi ! alex ! hola alex ! i wanted to send you , a congratulation , for being such a great musician ! you have class , and " flavor " tienes " sabor " en tu musica ! your music is happy , energetic ! con "ritmo" ! i feel like i am in varadero beach ! as if i was seeing " beny more " for the first time ! your music makes me feel the "love" generated by the amazing " unique " combinations that make the beauty , majesty , the genius that is " cuba " and its artists ! la bellesa , la majestad , y lo genio que es " cuba " y sus artistas ! espero que me escribas ! y seremos gran amigos ! i was dj in many legendary ny discoteches ! now i am an acomplished , recognized artist ! and poet ! como wilfredo lam ! o jose marti ! luz siempre ! carino y azucar ! tu amigo , el artista , poeta , your friend the artist , poet , ( m.a.) " saint " ( c .) 2009 . " santo " !!!
Helllllooo:) So nice to hear from you, I am well other than the fact that my brain hurts from studying! I loved the video clip from your last show, you were all "wow wow wow" Looking forward to you coming home and spending time, this way i can find more tasty ways for you to ingest "hardar" Stay blessed, Yas-
